If this country saves itself, it will not be thanks to the Coalition
The Coalition have become so entrenched in maintaining the status quo that they have forgotten what it means to govern. Their fetish to be a “small” government has seen them all but disappear from policy development, concentrating purely on electoral strategy.
The last time a Coalition government acted decisively to do something to benefit the country was when John Howard introduced gun laws. He would not have been able to get that through without the support of Tim Fischer who copped enormous flak from his constituency. Could you imagine the current Nats having the courage or the will to do that?
We have universal healthcare and compulsory superannuation thanks to Labor – initiatives that the Coalition fought tooth and nail against.
Labor acknowledged the Stolen Generation and apologised – something Howard refused to do.
Julia Gillard, in a hung parliament, introduced a price on carbon, tripled the tax-free threshold, got the NBN and NDIS started, introduced paid parental leave, started the RC into child sex abuse, put a tax on mining superprofits, and got part way towards education reform with funding based on need – amongst many other things.
Since the Coalition took over in 2013, what have they done?
A whole heap of axing of things, lots of feasibility studies and inquiries and reports, plenty of announcements that have no detail or timeline, contracts given to connections without tender, and loads of grants handed out to marginal seats.
All amidst constant ego and scandal-driven leadership coups.
We will never be in front of the curve with a Coalition government because they are more focused on watching each other and protecting their place at the trough than looking where we are going. No-one’s navigating because they like where they are right now.
The car industry is a perfect example of just how clueless they are.
Their latest report on the Australian Automotive Industry shows how much time, expertise, money and opportunity was lost by not supporting the domestic auto industry to innovate for the future.
“Going forward, the Australian Government will continue to encourage innovation, build industry capability, and assist future emerging industries such as autonomous vehicle and related technologies; hydrogen and electric vehicles and related technologies.”
Continue to encourage??? The people who screamed blue murder when Bill Shorten suggested we should be moving towards electric vehicles? He was stealing our weekends! He was taking tradies’ utes!
What message does that send to investors considering building the infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles?
Despite the government’s inaction, figures from the Electric Vehicle Council show 6718 electric cars, including hybrid plug-ins, were sold nationwide last year, up from 2216 in 2018. Meanwhile, new combustion engine vehicle purchases dropped by 7.8 per cent in 2019.
Amazon announced last September that it was buying 100,000 electric trucks from US electric-vehicle startup Rivian as part of its effort to eliminate the carbon footprint of the company by 2040.
This trend will only continue. But with a Coalition government, we will be, as we are with everything, behind the rest of the world.
Businesses are trying, experts are trying, individuals are trying to drag this government kicking and screaming to face up to doing their job of preparing this country for the future.
They are worse than just dead weight holding us back – they are exacerbating the risks we face and the eventual cost to address them.
If we survive, it will not be thanks to the muppet show that calls itself our government.
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26 comments
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Phil Pryor
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Roland Flickett
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Harry Lime
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Sam
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Graeme
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Kaye Lee
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Terence
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paul walter
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paul walter
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wam
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corvusboreus
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whatever
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Kaye Lee
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corvusboreus
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paul walter
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corvusboreus
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Kaye Lee
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corvusboreus
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Kaye Lee
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Matters Not
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paul walter
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Kaye Lee
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paul walter
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paul walter
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Jane Rayner
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Ray Tinkler
Return to home pageThe Enemy, the conservative coalition, the supporting corporate bullies, bullshitters, bumboys, barnacles, blathers in media, bastardry from wage robbers, country party idiots who thieve, cheat, lie and abuse, will go close to killing us all, certainly the planet.
The fires destroyed countless animals. What do the preferred alternatives to the Nats (the Shooters) do when they get the urge to kill?
Is that the Liar with his pet cockatoo?
A decade ago, when the IPA introduced their 150 point legislation directive for their literal 4th reich govt, they thought they’d have a few years to push it through, 2 fraudulent elections later, we’ve been ticking off the legislation implementation which is a chilling simile to 1930s Germany and people still refuse to call out Fascism.
Oh, they’ve done a few things…. They have passed tax cuts for the wealthy; reaffirmed franking credits for those who don’t pay tax. By their lack of policy government initiative they have allowed interest rates to fall so low that retirees are suffering and the housing bubble is growing again (ready to pop). …how good is the LNP for average Australians?
They also reduced penalty rates and got rid of the schoolkids bonus. Oh and gave us the Indue card and Robodebt.
Kaye Lee
Good leadership is when someone sticks it to their own side and they accept it. Howard did some dodgy things but I agree with many that gun reform was Howard/Fischer crowning achievement.
What doesn’t get recognised no where near what it truly deserves is Julia Gillard’s RC in to Child Abuse. Howard and Tim only had to contend with the fruity farmers brigade and some wannabe Rambos at the local gun club. Gillard had to deal with some very, very powerful individuals/organisations/vested interest groups who piled on with those who were already hell bent on destroying her. I was contracting in a particular Canberra Govt Dept which was very close to the action at the time it was announced and she ruffled a lot of feathers, even within her own ranks. The harassment, actually the venom that she copped was unprecedented but still held her ground and therefore that act alone should be the stuff of legends.
You can say whatever you like about Julia in relation to other achievements (I personally think she should also be proud of the NDIS) but the RC was probably one of the greatest displays of leadership that I have witnessed. If for nothing else, every Australian should be grateful and thank Julia for setting up and giving these long suffering victims a voice which truly deserved to be heard.
Kaye Lee is no black sheep in criticism of them.
Here:
Watching the Drum visit Stanthorpe, I waited in vain, with the Mayor on the panel, for someone to mention the role of Joyful View, an off shore corporation involved a massive extraction of bore water that has caused the expensive trucking in of water, nearly a $million a week apparently paid for by Queensland tax payers, to a place where people hardly have water to drink or wash themselves.
A couple of people on the panel alluded in vague terms to it and one poster on their faulty on line feed interactive had the wit to mention Joyful View, without any response.
I marvelled that a show such as this was subject to some sort of censorship or self censorship on such a critical issue and wondered at the role of possible government interference and the role of secretive FTA’s in silencing the anti social activities of big corporations from overseas.
The implications as to loss of sovereignty are huge.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-16/company-approved-to-take-water-in-drought-ravaged-queensland/11873394
And what is this about?
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/liberals-split-over-casey-council-s-decision-to-extend-aziz-s-paid-leave-20200205-p53y33.html
The oil lobby is good, remember the japanese had electric trucks with a 100km range over 70 years ago..
If we survive smirko will be grabbing the credit if not labor and the chinese will be blamed,
With the slime lreading the loonies albo better claim the renewable and greenhouse gas centre ground NOW or be wedged by the di(in the backroom)ludbransimkims
ps beauty terence she was a powerhouse but, with one mirabile exception, she ignored the boys giving the impression of deference to the views of the rabbott that she is an ineffective woman and the worst PM in history.
Lemme tellya bout my ex-wife…
Well, it now appears that Scotty is only concerned about suicides in the Armed Forces because this will get Jacqui Lambie’s vote for the Union-bashing legislation.
Oh, such patriotism!!!!
Re Angus Taylor and clovergate
“The AFP assessment of this matter identified there is no evidence to indicate the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction was involved in falsifying information,” an AFP spokesperson said.
“The low level of harm and the apology made by the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, along with the significant level of resources required to investigate were also factored into the decision not to pursue this matter.
“The AFP now considers this matter finalised.”
How many resources does it take to say who gave you the document? Next time the cops try to give me a ticket for speeding I am going to say sorry and due to my apology and the low level of harm I caused I consider this matter finalised.
Well, after a perusal of available evidence, the AFP has concluded that the matter of someone in Angus Taylor’s office falsifying documents then peddling them to commercial media was not worthy of further federal police investigation, so it looks like their will be no further repercussions for any of the people involved.
Further evidence, should any be needed, for the necessity of a federal ICAC (last polled at over 80% support).
Meanwhile, the last Albo had to say about political corruption was latish last year, when he professed a personal ignorance of witnessing any examples of it’s actual existence within or around the halls of Canberra.
Albo did also express some mild impatience that scomo hadn’t yet unveiled any further details of the coalition concept-sketch of an impotently muted and muzzled federal ‘integrity commission’.
Apparently Albo reckoned that shorten’s idea of an integrity commission had overstepped a few bipartisan boundaries, and he probably feels the need to reorient his policy ambition off a significantly lower benchmark.
I hope Albo took the opportunity to raise the subject when he shared a few drinks with scomo and jonesy at mutual friend ‘richo from sky’s’ 70th birthday bash (whatever it takes, ay?)
Corvusboreus, it is a despicable and gutless performance from the AFP and from the government.
All that as required was an explanation of how the false doco was obtained, by who, and who authorised its use as apart of another smear campaign.
Surely an interview with Taylor should have revealed what went wrong-if not Taylor, who and I can’t believe the AFP Caped Cusaders haven’t the technical expertise to track down the fake doco and its origins with put an appropriate answer from the Minister, who otherwise remains responsible for leaking false info.
paul walter,
Yeah well, thing is, the target of that particular fraudulent ministerial smear campaign was merely an independent city councillor, not a sitting member of a federally registered political party.
Besides, the AFP have much more important things to do, like conducting spuriously authorised armed raids on union offices to seize long-expired admin documentation, and investigating home-ministerially redirected complaints regarding the alleged fabrication of indigenous identification.
Not to mention $900 cab charges to visit wineries.
It would be interesting to know how much of Barnaby’s over $600,000 claimed expenses as ‘special’ drought envoy was spent in pubs.
Kaye Lee,
I guess you and I will just take whatever comfort we can in that, under the current arrangements, federal parliamentary activities are still bound by such constraints that, even if they both trigger the parameters for active investigation by most state anti-corruption authorities, and blatantly fail the much vaunted pub/sniff-test (aka the ‘drunk-nuzzle’), they must still avoid flagrantly flouting any specific existent federal legislations.
I reckon lowering our prior expectations is part of adaptation to life in the new ‘normal’.
cb,
I endured the dismissal. I endured John Howard. Adapting to Abbott was too much to ask. Though compared to Fauxmo…..
I have always said it is easy to lie, cheat and steal. One must set one’s own standards because, without honesty and integrity, we are going to hell in a handbasket.
Mind you, I expect better from my children than my politicians.
Re:
Probably close to the mark when it comes to Angus Taylor personally but there is clear evidence that someone in Taylor’s office was involved. There were drops to journalists that were well sourced enough for those journalist(s) to get published. Again this raises the question of accountability when it comes ministerial staffers. And Ministers.
In Senate Estimates (and elsewhere) it’s made perfectly clear that staffers report to Ministers and not to the Parliament. They are not to be questioned – at all. It’s a point that Terry Moran (and others) make repeatedly when staffers purport to act in the Minister’s name but are in fact accountable to no-one because when the going gets tough no-one takes responsibility. There’s not even a Code of Conduct for staffers. And no side of politics seems to care.
No comfort. None from the Drum either.. switched off.
Feeling sick, lying down. Not as seasoned as you lot.
December: Liberal staffer Josh Manuatu was identified as the person who obtained the false figures that were used in a Daily Telegraph article that criticised Clover Moore.
Government sources told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that Mr Manuatu would not be leaving Mr Taylor’s office.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/liberal-staffer-who-obtained-false-figures-used-by-angus-taylor-will-keep-job-20191204-p53gy1.html
A week ago: Angus Taylor staffer Josh Manuatu has been appointed as ACT Liberal Party director. The Energy Minister’s office confirmed Mr Manuatu was still working for Mr Taylor when contacted earlier this week.
Mr Manuatu is also about to be given life membership by the ACT Young Liberals, according to an agenda for a special general meeting seen by The Canberra Times.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6605512/josh-manuatu-made-director-of-canberra-liberals/
Job well done Josh.
Murdoch hack Simon Benson, aka Coalition letterbox, wrote an article in December last year……”Morrison’s mojo continues to grow”
“Voters appear to have accepted Scott Morrison as the man for the times and are comfortable with his leadership.”
And people still read his crap?
And Peter Martin had the cheek to describe it a “minor matter” move on, on the Drum.
But it isn’t really, when you look at the accumulating mound of scandals and lies involving the government and its politicians.
Nor is slander a “minor matter”, as a number of whistle blowers could testify.
Let alone misappropriation of an entire government in the interests of looting on an unbelievable scale.
This government becomes more overtly corrupt every day and Scum’s stupid “quiet Australians” are either equally corrupt or completely lacking in the ability to recognise corruption when it punches them on the nose.
” we are going to hell in a handbasket.” And if Mr Morrison’s idea of what this world will be like under the governance of his religion, because that is his real reason for being in politics, that will be a far better place to be.